Agreed. I am a neutral party (Illinois), and I saw most of the big name Iowa and Indiana groups last year at the dozen or so competitions I attended, and the only Iowa group at the FC, CG, Carmel level was Linn-Mar.

I was wrong. Now that I have seen Ankeny (at Fame Nationals), I would say that they exceed any Indiana group that I've seen in the last few years.

LSW - Is there any way that your director would be willing/able to put that ballad up on iTunes or make CDs? It is incredible and I want a copy of it rather than try to ignore the coughing and distractions of a youtube video.

Yes! I wish more show choirs recorded their set in a 'clean' setting for everyone to enjoy. I did this with Powerhouse here, here, and here and people really enjoyed it. 'Studio' recordings don't have the energy or the feel of the live shows, but they aren't meant to be replacements... just something pristine to enjoy in the car or on your iPod. Sorta like an "iTunes" version. We issued a companion live DVD along with it to have the best of both worlds.

There are so many groups I would love to have this kind of recording of... I'm sure I'm not the only one. Directors! Take a weekend, get your groups together, and archive this beautiful music you've worked so hard to create!

LSW - Is there any way that your director would be willing/able to put that ballad up on iTunes or make CDs? It is incredible and I want a copy of it rather than try to ignore the coughing and distractions of a youtube video. You were by far my favorite group there and I like how you made such a great show without props, backgrounds, or lighting to distract from your show. I want to say you were "old-fashioned" but it gave me hope that true show choir is still very much alive.

I have a list of my thoughts on all the groups but let's be real, aint nobody got time for that. I just wanted to give a shootout to one of my new favorite groups.

After day I had you in first:
LSW
WWS
Ankeny
Kennedy
Prairie
Johnston/Totino

After the night round I agreed with the judges, but I do not believe that Wheaton won the day round.

Urbandale, if you were competing, I would have put you right up there with/above Ankeny and Wheaton in my personal standings. When the varsity host choir goes after finals, the kids are tired from the long day and also extremely wired because the entire auditorium is a fan instead of just one fan base. Sometimes this can be a blessing, but other times it can be a curse. Last night, it was definitely a blessing.

Studio 2013, you show is GREAT. The opening dresses (I think opening, anyway, some parts of the day are starting to mix together) were gorgeous. The theme of the show is so... personal. And real. And uplifting. And I love it. Major props to the director(s). One of the most meaningful shows I have ever witnessed. The split between Hurt and Blessed... That was a real show changer for me. I don't think it could have been any more beautiful. Honestly, beautiful is the only word to really describe it. Vocals were amazing, choreography was SO crisp, and the show as a whole was just so pleasing (as Studio is every single year ever).

In the halls I heard nothing but extreme praise for the show and for the hosts throughout the day. Urbandale is honestly such a well run competition and you students/directors have everything to do with that. A sincere thank you to all of you for putting on this memorable and historical event.

Oh, and because I missed it on my first post: Ankeny's opener "Titanium" is one of my favorite show choir songs of all time. I never would have imagined it as nothing but a ballad, but man. VA proved me wrong there.

As you can tell, the entire competition was just amazing. I wish I could repeat it.

Thanks Ethan! We just wanted to do something that spoke to the fact that so many of us are blessed in ways we forget to think of in the world as it stands. For those that don't know, the show's theme takes the materialism of the world and its greed, seeks to define its shallowness and disillusionment,....and then talk about the origins of true blessings and beauty in our lives. Means a lot that the show impacted you the way it did, and your post made me smile.

To Ted Brimeyer, and the ARMY of students, parents, alums, fellow judges and worker bees that made Urbandale's competition possible, let me say a heartfelt thank you. The competition results were difficult to argue with, as it was a decorated panel that included folks from Disney, some of America's top show choirs, and vocal adjudicators with a Ph.D. in their field. The food was delicious that the parents made for all of us, the facilities were fantabulous, the spirit of the day great, and scoring/tabulations went off without a hitch. (To those unlucky enough to witness some of us on the panel "dancing" from time-to-time while music roared between groups,.....I offer my sincere apologies,.....you likely were traumatized!)

Thanks to the 13 groups I was honored to do critique workshops with, as I've never had a contest where EVERY group I critiqued was respectful and enthusiastic in looking for ways to improve,....I sincerely hope I gave you some constructive and fun ones! God Bless and thanks to all involved for a spectacular day that should model for other schools the right way to run a competition! Damon Brown

I brought home an order form so I scanned it and I'm going to see if I can post it here. Bear with me, I'm new at this. But, the cool thing is that the videographer is offering the DVD's in Bllu-Ray as well as regular and charging the same price for each option.

Okay, the formatting didn't copy well and I didn't know how to post it as a pic. But hopefully it's clear enough that you can tell what the options and prices are. But his name, address, and phone are at the bottom. Call him and he'll be happy to help you.

This was hands down the hardest competition I have ever competed in and I was very pleased with the quality of all the groups from top to bottom. It was the first time I had ever see Wheaton's show and I was blown away to say the least! Good luck to all show choirs with the rest of your season!

This was by far one of the most enjoyable competitions I've sat through. The auditorium is beautiful (second best that I've been to, behind Hastings) and the sound was great. The competition ran really smoothly from what I could see.

After finals I had it like it ended up but with Kennedy ahead of Johnston, barely. Can't really complain about how it turned out.

I thought every group really improved for finals and it was just a fun finals to sit back and enjoy. So props to everyone who competed!

It's obviously hard to sit and compare shows like Wheaton and Ankeny, especially when both are executed as well as they were. I think one thing that I loved about Wheaton were the small touches in staging/choreo/vocals that really grab your attention. A few examples:
- In the opener when Jeff (the main guy) finishes his tap section and it kind of explodes from him to the rest of the group. It just really grabs your attention and gives the rest of the opener a boost in energy that carries it.
- The section in "Cool" where they dance as couples really formally and shift their vocals to very proper. It gave the number a distinct feel that once again gave the number new life.
- The dad in the show basically any time he is featured. He's clearly very talented (he was the cowardly lion last year) and really portrays his character well. His dance moves and his interaction with his daughter were awesome and really fun.

That said, I really liked what Ankeny has done this year and I'm excited to see them two more times at FAME Orlando!

The theme of the show is so... personal. And real. And uplifting. And I love it. Major props to the director(s). One of the most meaningful shows I have ever witnessed. The split between Hurt and Blessed... That was a real show changer for me. I don't think it could have been any more beautiful. Honestly, beautiful is the only word to really describe it.

In the halls I heard nothing but extreme praise for the show and for the hosts throughout the day. Urbandale is honestly such a well run competition and you students/directors have everything to do with that. A sincere thank you to all of you for putting on this memorable and historical event.

Thank you so much, Ethan. I honestly am not interested in where people think we might have placed, but these two things mean the most to everyone associated with Studio 2013.

1. The fact that you got the show and it touched you personally means we accomplished our goal.

and

2. You feel that the competition is run well. We take great pride in our event, so your compliments about how it was run are very much appreciated.

I don't think the company that produces our DVD's has a website. I know they will take telephone and mail orders though. You can contact them during normaly business hours at 515-270-9799. This year they are offering DVD and Blu-Ray formats and they put out a great product.